System and method for providing a network service in a distributed fashion to a mobile device

ABSTRACT

A mobile virtual network operator is provided. The operator includes a server that is communicatively coupled to a mobile device. The mobile device includes application software provided by the virtual network operator for allowing phone call and data connectivity.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/964,364 entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING A NETWORK SERVICEIN A DISTRIBUTED FASHION TO A MOBILE DEVICE” and filed on Oct. 12, 2022,which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/584,461entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING A NETWORK SERVICE IN ADISTRIBUTED FASHION TO A MOBILE DEVICE” and filed on Jan. 26, 2022, nowU.S. Pat. No. 11,477,329 issued on Oct. 18, 2022, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/385,988 entitled“SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING A NETWORK SERVICE IN A DISTRIBUTEDFASHION TO A MOBILE DEVICE” and filed on Jul. 27, 2021, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/025,107 entitled“SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING A NETWORK SERVICE IN A DISTRIBUTEDFASHION TO A MOBILE DEVICE” and filed on Sep. 18, 2020, now U.S. Pat.No. 11,089,166 issued on Aug. 10, 2021, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/245,585 entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FORPROVIDING A NETWORK SERVICE IN A DISTRIBUTED FASHION TO A MOBILE DEVICE”and filed on Jan. 11, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,805,474 issued on Oct.13, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/045,823 entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING A NETWORK SERVICEIN A DISTRIBUTED FASHION TO A MOBILE DEVICE” and filed on Jul. 26, 2018,now U.S. Pat. No. 10,652,399 issued on May 12, 2020, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/839,761 entitled“SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING A NETWORK SERVICE IN A DISTRIBUTEDFASHION TO A MOBILE DEVICE” and filed on Dec. 12, 2017, now U.S. Pat.No. 10,523,824 issued on Dec. 31, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/275,986 entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FORPROVIDING A NETWORK SERVICE IN A DISTRIBUTED FASHION TO A MOBILE DEVICE”and filed on Sep. 26, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,860,389 issued on Jan.2, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/427,748 entitled “System and Method for Providing a Network Servicein a Distributed Fashion to a Mobile Device” and filed on Mar. 22, 2012,now U.S. Pat. No. 9,712,986 issued on Jul. 18, 2017, which is divisionalof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/208,200 entitled “System andMethod for Providing a Network Service in a Distributed Fashion to aMobile Device” and filed on Aug. 11, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,914,002issued on Dec. 16, 2014, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/008,710 entitled “Mobile Virtual NetworkOperator” and filed on Jan. 11, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,107,921 issuedon Jan. 31, 2012, which is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/002,300 entitled “Content Delivery to a Mobile Device from a ContentService” and filed on Dec. 13, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,793,305 issuedon Jul. 29, 2014. This application is also related to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/729,314 entitled “System and Method for GroupManagement” and filed on Mar. 27, 2007. This application is also relatedto co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/208,185 entitled“Mobile Virtual Network Operator” and filed on Aug. 11, 2011, now U.S.Pat. No. 8,909,192 issued on Dec. 9, 2014. The disclosures of each ofthese matters are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to the field of wireless mobiledevice network services. More specifically, the present inventionrelates to providing network services to a mobile device over a mobilenetwork.

Description of the Background Art

Mobile devices may be used to communicate using a variety ofcommunication mediums over a mobile network, including voice telephonecalls, voice mail, email, and text messaging. In addition, a variety ofservices may be provided over a mobile network such as content from websites and other providers. For example, digital content such asring-tones may be provided over a mobile network. Typically, themultiple communication mediums, network services, and digital contentare provided by different entities whereby interaction and integrationmay not easily occur.

Providers of network services often desire to offer a bundled package ofmedia and network services to customers under a single brand. However,unless the provider is also a mobile network service provider, theprovider of the network services may have difficulty in providing anintegrated mobile network service offering to its customers to meettheir needs.

SUMMARY

Systems and methods for a mobile virtual network operator to overcomeproblems in the prior art related to providing mobile network servicesare provided. The mobile virtual network operator may provide uniquecontent, services, policies, and pricing for mobile network serviceswhile utilizing and operating over a mobile network provided by a mobilenetwork service provider. The mobile virtual network operator may brandand bill its services independently from the mobile network serviceprovider. The mobile virtual network operator may bundle networkservices, communication services, and digital content delivery in anintegrated fashion that enables interoperability and seamlesscommunications across multiple mediums.

A system for providing mobile network services includes a first serverin communication with a mobile device over a mobile network. The firstserver is configured to receive a unique authentication token from themobile device over the mobile network. The first server is furtherconfigured to provide a service to the mobile device via the mobilenetwork. The provided service is associated with the uniqueauthentication token and branded by an entity other than an operator ofthe mobile network. A second server is in communication with the mobilenetwork. The second server is configured to monitor usage of the mobilenetwork by the mobile device. The usage is related to the serviceprovided to the mobile device by the first server.

A method for providing a mobile network service includes receiving aunique authentication token from a mobile device at a server, providinga service to the mobile device via a mobile network, and monitoringusage of the mobile network by the mobile device. The server is incommunication with the mobile device over the mobile network. Theservice is associated with the unique authentication token and brandedby an entity other than an operator of the mobile network. The usage isrelated to the service provided to the mobile device via the mobilenetwork.

A method of billing for a mobile network service provided to a mobiledevice by a mobile virtual network operator includes identifying a userof the mobile device. The method also includes identifying a serviceplan purchased from the mobile virtual network operator. The serviceplan is purchased by the user of the mobile device. The method alsoincludes identifying a mobile network service provided to the mobiledevice via a mobile network. The mobile network service is provided onbehalf of the mobile virtual network operator. The method also includesdetermining a price of the service plan purchased by the user of themobile device and a price of the network service provided to the mobiledevice via the mobile network. The method further includes submittinginformation representative of an invoice for the service plan purchasedand the network service provided to the mobile device. The user isbilled on behalf of the mobile network service provider by the mobilevirtual network operator.

A computer program is stored on a computer readable storage medium. Theprogram is executable by a processor for performing a method forproviding a mobile network service. The method includes providing aunique authentication token from a mobile device to a server and using aservice provided by the server via a mobile network. The server is incommunication with the mobile device over the mobile network. Theservice is associated with the unique authentication token and brandedby an entity other than an operator of the mobile network. The methodfurther includes downloading a representation of digital content storedat a computing device in communication with the server over a network.The download is responsive to the unique authentication token providedto the server, and the computing device is controlled by an entity otherthan an entity that operates the mobile network or the server.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a mobile virtual network.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart depicting a method of operating a mobile virtualnetwork.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting a billing method for a mobile virtualnetwork operator.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting a method of using a service provided bya mobile virtual network operator.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a mobile virtual network 100. The mobilevirtual network 100 includes a mobile virtual network operator 140(which may include a server), a mobile network service provider 160, amobile device 120, an optional personal computing device 130, and anoptional content provider 110. All of the aforementioned may beinterconnected through network 150. The content provider 110, thepersonal computing device 130, the mobile virtual network operator 140;and the mobile network service provider 160 may include or use computingdevices inclusive of a computer processor, memory, computer readabledata storage media, network interfaces, and input/output devices such asa video display, keyboard, mouse, touchpad, touch screen, and so forth.

The mobile virtual network operator 140 may include one or more serviceor processing nodes configured to perform one or more functions of themobile virtual network operator 140. The mobile virtual network operator140 may also include a proxy for another service or processing nodeconfigured to perform one or more functions of the mobile virtualnetwork operator 140. Each of the one or more nodes of the mobilevirtual network operator 140 may independently operate and connect tothe network 150. The mobile network service provider 160, the optionalcontent provider 110, and the optional personal computing device 130 maybe configured in a similar fashion.

The mobile device 120 may be configured to communicate between a userand other mobile devices as well as one or more computing devices overthe network 150. The mobile device 120 may include a cellular telephone,a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless e-maildevice, or a handheld computer. The mobile device 120 may includecommunications components (not shown) such as a radio frequency (RF)antenna, an optical transceiver (e.g., infrared), modulator/demodulator,and codec circuitry configured to interface with the network 150 andexchange data over the same. The mobile device 120 may includeinput/output components such as a display, keypad, keyboard, touchpad,touch screen, microphone, speaker, headphone jack, Bluetooth interface,speech recognition application, e-mail application, web browserapplication, MP3 music player, and so forth.

A server at the mobile virtual network operator 140 may provide aservice to one or more customers over the network 150. The one or morecustomers may be users of the mobile device 120. The mobile virtualnetwork operator 140 may maintain an account record associated with theuser of the mobile device 120.

The account record may include an identifying element such as a user'scustomer account number, user ID or user name, password, mobile deviceelectronic serial number (ESN), mobile device telephone number, landlinetelephone number, credit card number, and so forth. The account recordmay also include a mobile virtual network service plan, connectioninformation for the user's personal computing device 130, accountbalance, payment history, mobile network service provider accountinformation, and so forth. The mobile virtual network operator 140 maybe configured to receive a unique authentication token from the mobiledevice 120 over the network 150, the unique authentication token beingused to identify and authenticate the user of the mobile device 120 as acustomer. The unique authentication token may include an identifyingelement included in the user's account record, as disclosed above.

The mobile virtual network operator 140 may include a mobile virtualnetwork operator (MVNO) policy enforcement application 146 configured toenforce a network service policy associated with the user of the mobiledevice 120. The network service policy may include a maximum number ofminutes of voice service per billing period, a maximum number of databits transferred per billing period, and a maximum number of ShortMessage Service (SMS) text messages processed per billing period. Thenetwork service policy may also include a maximum number of picture orimage files transferred per billing period, a maximum number of audiofiles transferred per billing period, and a maximum number of videofiles transferred per billing period. The network service policy mayfurther include a maximum number of stored voice mail messages, anamount of utilized server data storage, and so forth. Transferring afile may include downloading the file, uploading the file, transferringa representation of the file, transmitting data representative of thefile, and receiving data representative of the file. The functionalityof the MVNO policy enforcement application 146 may be distributed ortasked to software running on the personal computing device 130.

The mobile virtual network operator 140 may include an MVNO networkservices application 144 configured to provide one or more services tothe user of the mobile device 120 over the network 150. The one or morenetwork services provided by the MVNO network services application 144may additionally utilize a network service provided by the mobilenetwork service provider 160. This utilization may occur via the mobilenetwork services application 163. The one or more services may beassociated with the unique authentication token and may be branded bythe mobile virtual network operator 140 as a separate entity from themobile network service provider 160. The functionality of the MVNOnetwork services application 144 may be distributed or tasked tosoftware running on a server at the mobile network service provider 160,MVNO client software 127 running on the mobile device 120, the mobilevirtual network operator 140, and/or MVNO local services software 138running on the personal computing device 130.

The mobile network service provider 160 may include a network servicesapplication 163 configured to provide mobile network services to themobile device 120. The mobile network services may include voicecommunications between the mobile device 120 and another mobile device,landline telephone, computing device, and so forth over the network 150.The voice communications may include two-way communications as well asvoice mail. The mobile network services may also include datacommunications between the mobile device 120 and another mobile device,computing device, or server over the network 150. The datacommunications may include internet communications, World Wide Web (WWW)communications, file transfers, SMS text message communications, instantmessaging (IM) communications, email communications, and so forth.

The mobile network service provider 160 may be configured to monitor,track, and record the mobile device 120's usage of a network serviceprovided by the mobile network services application 163 and/or an MVNOnetwork services application 144. The record of the usage of the networkservice may be communicated to a billing application 167, an MVNObilling application 142, and an MVNO policy enforcement application 146.The record may be communicated for the purposes of billing the user forthe network services used and/or enforcing policies related to using thenetwork services. A two-way communication between the network servicesapplication 163 and the MVNO policy enforcement application 146 may beused to limit network services provided to the mobile device 120 tothose that are authorized by the MVNO policy enforcement application146.

The mobile network service provider 160 may also include a billingapplication 167 configured to facilitate billing the user for mobilenetwork services provided by the network services application 163.Through the billing application 167, the mobile network service provider160 may also bill the user on behalf of the mobile virtual networkoperator 140 and/or optional content provider 110.

The MVNO network services 144 may include a service whereby a user'scommunications with another person via multiple mediums are associatedwith one another for easy reference and access via the multiple mediums.The multiple mediums may include SMS text messaging, IM, voice telephonecalls, voice over Internet Protocol (IP) communications, email, andmultimedia mail. Multiple service providers may also be utilized foreach of the multiple mediums.

The mobile virtual network operator 140 may provide a service whereby auser of the mobile device who receives a communication via one mediummay respond using a different medium. An incoming message may prompt theuser to select a response medium such that the user may choose torespond using the same medium or another medium. For example, the userof the mobile device 120 may receive an SMS text message from acolleague, and respond to the colleague via an email message. The usermay respond in a manner similar to responding to the SMS message withanother SMS message. In another example, the user may be able to callthe colleague by choosing to respond via a voice phone call rather thanan SMS message at the response prompt.

The MVNO network services 144 may include a service whereby a user ofthe mobile device 120 sees a record of communications with a contactthat includes multiple mediums within a single list of communicationshistory. The single list of communications history may includecommunications via SMS text message, IM, email, and voice telephonecalls. The record of communications may be organized into a conversationincorporating the multiple mediums. For example, the conversation mayinclude messages exchanged via one or more web email services, one ormore personal or enterprise email software packages, one or more IMservices, multimedia mail, and so forth.

The MVNO network services 144 may include a service like that describedin U.S. application Ser. No. 11/729,314 entitled “System and Method forGroup Management,” whereby an optimal communication medium for themobile device to communicate with an entity is determined. The entitymay have a contact record stored at the mobile device 120. The contactrecord may include the entity's name, postal address, email address,mobile telephone number, landline telephone number, instant messengeraddress, and so forth. The mobile virtual network operator 140 maycollect contact information for a contact record from sources associatedwith multiple communication mediums including email software installedon the personal computing device 130, a contacts database on the mobiledevice 120, a web email service, an instant messaging service, and soforth. The mobile virtual network operator 140 may monitor availabilityof a contact via one or more communication mediums and inform the userof the mobile device 120 which communication mediums are best to reachthe contact at any given time. The best communication medium to reachthe contact may also be dependent on the message type the user wishes tosend the contact or a time period in which the user wishes to receive aresponse from the contact.

The MVNO network services 144 may include a broadcast messaging servicewhereby the mobile device 120 automatically sends a message to multiplecontacts within a designated group of contacts, and the mobile virtualnetwork operator 140 forwards the message via a different communicationmedium to different contacts depending on a determined optimaltransmission communication medium for each contact. For example, a userof the mobile device 120 may send a text message to a group of contacts.Some contacts may receive the message via SMS text messaging, others viaemail, and still others via IM, based upon the determined optimaltransmission communication medium for each contact. The optimaltransmission communication medium may be determined based upon variousfactors such as predetermined preferences, presence, activity, and othercontact-dependent factors monitored or determined by the mobile virtualnetwork operator 140.

Each recipient contact may respond via an optimal response communicationmedium. The optimal response communication medium may be the same as ordifferent from the optimal transmission communication medium. Eachrecipient's optimal response communication medium may be different thananother recipient's optimal response communication medium. The broadcastmessaging service may include text messaging, peercast, and polling.

The MVNO network services 144 may include a service whereby digitalcontent is delivered to the mobile device 120 from the mobile virtualnetwork operator 140, a digital content provider 110, a computing device120, or a mobile network service provider 160. The digital content maybe delivered over the network 150 based upon a location of the mobiledevice 120. The mobile virtual network operator 140 may determine thelocation of the mobile device 120 via a global positioning system (GPS)device at the mobile device 120, triangulation from multiple mobilenetwork service provider base stations receiving a wireless signal fromthe mobile device 120, or a user input at the mobile device 120. Forexample, the mobile virtual network operator 140 may send the mobiledevice 120 a list of restaurants within several blocks of the locationof the mobile device 120 based on a location determination.

The MVNO network services 144 may include a service wherebycommunications routed to the mobile device 120 are sent via an optimalcommunication medium, a communication medium appropriate for thelocation of the mobile device 120, or a communication medium determinedto be most likely to be successful at contacting the user of the mobiledevice 120.

The MVNO network services 144 may include a service whereby the mobiledevice 120 uploads or transfers a representation of digital content to acomputing device or server accessible via the network 150. The transfermay be performed in response to a user selection at the mobile device120 using a proxy at the mobile virtual network Operator 140. Thisservice may be used, for example, to enable the user of the mobiledevice 120 to publish photographs, videos, audio recordings, messages,and other digital content created or collected at the mobile device 120to network-accessible computing devices or servers such as web sites orFTP sites, The service may also enable the mobile device 120 to uploaddigital content to the personal computing device 130 for personalpurposes including data backup or transfer.

The mobile virtual network operator 140 may enable transfers to be madeautomatically. In one example, a transfer may be performed each time aphotograph is taken at the mobile device 120. In another example, atransfer of data not previously uploaded may be performed at somepredetermined time according to a backup schedule. A preference may beset at the mobile device 120 to control what data is uploaded, when thetransfer occurs, where the transfer is posted, and so forth. The MVNOnetwork services 144 may include a service whereby a communication viathe mobile device 120 is journalled or backed up onto the personalcomputing device 130.

The MVNO network services 144 may include a service whereby the mobilevirtual network operator 140 anticipates data that the user of themobile device 120 may desire and proactively provides that data to themobile device 120. The mobile virtual network operator 140 mayanticipate data that the user desires based upon a variety of factors.These factors may include preset preferences set by the user, historicalpattern of data access by the mobile device 120, or a location of themobile device 120. The mobile virtual network operator 140 may push theanticipated data to the mobile device 120 via a web interface, aninstant message, an SMS text message, an email, or other means of datadelivery as known in the art.

The MVNO network services 144 may include a service whereby the mobilevirtual network operator 140 performs a function in response to an SMSmessage sent from the mobile device 120. The function may be performedin response to a command or code contained within the SMS message. Thefunction may include providing requested data to the mobile device 120or performing processing of data and providing results of the processingto the mobile device 120.

The MVNO network services 144 may include a service whereby the mobilevirtual network operator 140 proactively provides an advertisementand/or incentive to use mobile network services or access digitalcontent. The advertised services or content may be offered by the mobilevirtual network operator 140, a digital content provider 110, or themobile network service provider 160. The advertisement and/or incentivemay be provided via an SMS text message, a perishable application (asdescribed elsewhere herein), or a client applet resident at the mobiledevice 120.

The MVNO network services 144 may include a service whereby digitalcontent is streamed from the mobile virtual network operator 140 to themobile device 120. The streamed digital content may originate from themobile virtual network operator 140. Alternatively, the streamed digitalcontent may be transferred to a server at the mobile virtual networkoperator 140 from another server over the network 150. The other servermay be a digital content provider 110 or a personal computing device130.

The MVNO network services 144 may include a service whereby a continuousvirtual data connection between the mobile device 120 and a server orcomputing device over the network 150 is maintained even when aconnection between the mobile virtual network operator 140 and themobile device 120 is interrupted. The server or computing device may bedigital content provider 110 or personal computing device 130. As anexample, the mobile virtual network operator 140 may serve as a proxyfor a virtual data connection. The virtual data connection may be a webconnection between the mobile device 120 and a server over the network150. If a network connection between the mobile virtual network operator140 and the mobile device 120 is temporarily broken, the mobile virtualnetwork operator 140 may continue to maintain an active data connectionwith the server. The network connection may be broken if the mobiledevice 120 is turned off or enters a location lacking a sufficientmobile network signal to maintain the network connection. The activedata connection between the server and the mobile virtual networkoperator 140 enables the server to continue to recognize the virtualdata connection with the mobile device 120 as being active.

The MVNO network services 144 may include a service whereby perishablesoftware applications and/or digital content are transferred andinstalled on the mobile device 120 for temporary use. The mobile virtualnetwork operator 140 may transfer and install a perishable applicationon the mobile device 120 to provide a temporary service to the user ofthe mobile device 120. After the perishable application is no longerrequired, the application is automatically deleted. By automaticallydeleting perishable applications that are no longer needed, memory onthe mobile device 120 is freed for other purposes.

The MVNO network services 144 may include a visual voice mail servicewhereby the MVNO network services 144 stores one or more voice messagesfor unanswered telephone calls routed to the mobile device. The mobilevirtual network operator 140 may create a textual list of the voicemessages, optionally including the date, time, duration, and Caller IDinformation relating to each voice message. The mobile virtual networkoperator 140 may transfer data corresponding to the list to the mobiledevice 120 to enable the user of the mobile device 120 to select a voicemessage to retrieve among the list of stored voice messages.

The user may interact with the mobile virtual network operator 140 tomake this selection using a web browser, an applet, a perishableapplication, or a client application installed on the mobile device 120.The mobile virtual network operator 140 may transfer a representation ofthe selected voice message to the mobile device 120 in the form of anaudio data file, a perishable audio data file, or an audio playbackwithin a voice telephone call. The mobile virtual network operator 140may utilize servers and services provided by the mobile network serviceprovider 160 to provide the visual voice mail service. For example, themobile network service provider 160 may store the one or more voicemessages on behalf of the mobile virtual network operator 140.

The mobile virtual network operator 140 may include an MVNO billingapplication 142 configured to facilitate billing a user of the mobiledevice 120 for network services; such as those provided through the MVNOnetwork services application 144. The MVNO billing application 142 maycommunicate with the mobile network service provider billing application167. The purpose of the communication may be for the mobile virtualnetwork operator 140 to bill the user of the mobile device 120. The billmay be for network services 163 provided to the mobile device 120. Thebill for the network services 163 may be provided by the mobile virtualnetwork operator 140 on behalf of the mobile network service provider160. Likewise, the MVNO billing application 142 may communicate with acontent provider billing application 117. The purpose of thecommunication may be for the mobile virtual network operator 140 to billthe user of the mobile device 120. The bill may be for purchases ofdigital content 113. The bill for the purchases may be provided by themobile virtual network operator 140 on behalf of the content provider110.

The applications, content, and functionality of optional contentprovider 110 described herein may be included in mobile virtual networkoperator 140 and/or mobile network service provider 160. A server at thecontent provider 110 may be operated to provide digital content 113 toone or more customers over the network 150. The one or more customersmay be users of the mobile device 120 or personal computing device 130.Digital content 113 at content provider 110 may be stored on a computerreadable data storage medium such as a magnetic hard drive, opticaldisk, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, HD-DVD disk, Blu-ray disk, magnetic tape, orflash memory.

The digital content 113 may include digital audio data files, mobiledevice ring-tones, e-book data files, picture data files, video datafiles, e-mail data files, voice message data files, SMS data files,document files, and software applications. The content provider 110provides representations (e.g., copies) of the digital content 113 overthe network 150.

The content provider 110 may also include billing application 117. Thecontent provider 110 may be configured to bill a user forrepresentations of the digital content 113 purchased and/or receivedfrom the content service provider 110. The content provider 110 maymaintain an account record corresponding to a user, who may be acustomer of the content provider 110. The account record may be similarto that described elsewhere herein with reference to the mobile virtualnetwork operator 140. The content provider 110 may use the accountrecord to determine whether to offer the user digital content 113, whatitems of digital content 113 to make available to the user, and whatprices to charge the user for those available items of digital content113.

The network 150 is inclusive of a wireless network such as a cellulartelephone network, a WiFi network, a WiMax network, or a Long TermEvolution (LTE) network. The wireless network may be operated by amobile network service provider such as the mobile network serviceprovider 160. The network 150 may also include a wired network such asthe Internet. The wired network may further include wired connectionssuch as Ethernet connections, plain old telephone service (POTS)connections, digital subscriber line (DSL) connections, community accesstelevision (CATV) connections, fiber optic connections, and coaxialcable connections. The wired network may include a network operated bythe mobile virtual network operator 140, content provider 110, or mobilenetwork service provider 160. The content provider 110, mobile device120, personal computing device 130, mobile virtual network operator 140,and/or mobile network service provider 160 may communicate with oneanother over the network 150 via one or more wireless and/or wirednetworks.

A user may initiate a connection between the mobile device 120 and thecontent provider 110 via the network 150. The connection may beestablished using a web browser running on the mobile device 120 andcommunicating with a web server running on a server at the contentprovider 110. Alternatively, the connection may be established using anapplet or client software application running on the mobile device 120.The applet or client software application may be included with the MVNOclient software 127. The applet or client software application, in turn,communicates with a server software application running on a server atthe content provider 110. A content selection interface provided on themobile device 120 may be configured to inform the user of one or moreavailable items of digital content 113 available from the contentprovider 110.

The content provider 110 and/or the content selection interface mayselectively enumerate available items of the digital content 113. Theseenumerations may be based upon various criteria such as userpreferences, desired digital content genre or category, and user accountbalance with the content provider 110. The content selection interfacemay list the available items of digital content 113 in the form of atextual list, collection of graphical icons, or other means ofpresentation. After the user selects an available item from the list,the content selection interface, through mobile device 120, transmitsthe selection to the content provider 110 via the network 150.

The content provider 110 may be configured to require the user of themobile device 120 to authorize a purchase of the selection through thebilling application 117. Identifying information (as disclosed elsewhereherein) may be transmitted by the user and/or the mobile device 120 tothe content provider 110. The identifying information may be used toauthorize the purchase. For example, the identifying information may becompared with the account record. The billing application 117 may storea user's credit card number on file and allow the user to authorize acharge on the credit card by transmitting a password from the mobiledevice 120 to the content provider 110 or via an SMS message.

The billing application 117 may transmit a Premium SMS message or aReverse Billed SMS message to the mobile device 120 requesting the userto authorize the purchase of the selection. After the user authorizes acharge for the purchase, the content provider 110 bills the user via themobile virtual network operator 140 or the mobile network serviceprovider 160 on behalf of the content provider 110. In this manner, themobile virtual network operator 140 or the mobile network serviceprovider 160 may include a charge from the content provider 110 on theuser's mobile virtual network operator or mobile network serviceprovider bill. The user may then pay the mobile virtual network operator140 or the mobile network service provider 160 directly for the chargeas part of the user's bill payment. The mobile virtual network operator140 or the mobile network service provider 160 then pays the contentprovider 110 for the charge, which may include a transaction fee.

The content provider 110 may be configured to transfer a representation(e.g., transmit a copy) of the selected digital content 113 to thepersonal computing device 130 associated with the user of the mobiledevice 120. The representation may include a single selected format ofthe selected digital content 113 or multiple formats of the selecteddigital content 113. For example, the representation may include adigital music file in an MP3 format and another representation of thesame digital music file in an AAC format. Alternatively, therepresentation may include multiple representations of a digital musicfile encoded at different bit rates. For example, one representation maybe optimized for quality at a higher bit rate and have a larger filesize, while another representation is optimized to conserve bandwidth ata lower bit rate and have a smaller file size. The representationoptimized for quality may be intended for transfer to the mobile device120 in a single “chunk”, while the representation optimized to conservebandwidth may be intended to transfer to the mobile device 120 viastreaming media.

The personal computing device 130 may be owned or controlled by anentity other than the mobile virtual network operator 140, mobilenetwork service provider 160, and content provider 110. Alternatively,the personal computing device 130 may be owned or controlled by anentity that owns or controls any of the above. The personal computingdevice 130 may be owned or controlled by the user of the mobile device120. The personal computing device 130 includes MVNO local servicessoftware 138. The MVNO local services software 138 may be configured toperform functions related to the MVNO network services application 144.The MVNO local services software 138 may also include a contentacquisition application configured to receive the representation of theselected digital content 113 from the content provider 110. The contentacquisition application is configured to store the representation of theselected digital content 113 to a local content store 132. The personalcomputing device 130 may be configured to receive a uniqueauthentication token from the mobile device 120. Based on theauthentication token, the personal computing device 130 may authorizethe mobile device 120 to access data or utilize services provided by thepersonal computing device 130.

The local content store 132 may be stored on a computer readable datastorage medium as discussed elsewhere herein. The representation of theselected digital content 113 may be stored in an original form asreceived from the content provider 110. The representation of theselected digital content 113 may be stored in the local content store132 indefinitely, whether or not a representation of the selecteddigital content 113 is transferred to the mobile device 120. If themobile device 120 is lost or damaged, the representation of the selecteddigital content 113 may not be lost.

The personal computing device 130 also includes content managementsoftware 136. The content management software 136 may be configured tomanage digital content stored in local content store 132, MVNO localservices software 138, content reformatting application 135, and contenttransfer application 134. Various content management functions may beperformed by the content management software 136 or by other softwaremodules in conjunction with the content management software 136.

The personal computing device 130 may be configured to reformatdownloaded digital content using the content reformatting application135. The content reformatting application 135 may decode, encode,transcode, or resample digital content. The content reformattingapplication 135 may initiate reformatting of the downloaded content inresponse to a command issued by another software module at the personalcomputing device 130, the content provider 110, or by the mobile device120. Reformatting may also occur automatically according to userpreferences stored at the personal computing device 130. The contentreformatting application 135 may include copying a file stored in thelocal content store 132 while changing a file format from one format toanother, or while changing a bit rate or resolution such that the copyhas a different bit rate or resolution than the original.

In one example, the content reformatting application 135 reformats anMPEG-2 encoded video file to a 3GP encoded video file by copying theMPEG-2 encoded video file and saving the copied video file in the localcontent store 132 as a 3GP encoded video file. In a second example, thecontent reformatting application 135 reformats an AVI encoded video filehaving a resolution of 720 by 480 pixels to an AVI encoded video filehaving a resolution of 360 by 240 pixels. In another example, thecontent reformatting application 135 reformats an MPEG-4 encoded videofile having a frame rate of approximately 30 frames per second (fps) toan MPEG-4 encoded video file having a frame rate of approximately 15fps. By further example, the content reformatting application 135reformats an MP3 encoded audio file having a bit rate of 192 kilobitsper second (kbps) to an MP3 encoded audio file having a bit rate of 128kbps.

The content reformatting application 135 may also be configured toreformat the downloaded content based upon a command received from themobile virtual network operator 140 or available bandwidth between thepersonal computing device 130 and the mobile device 120. The contentreformatting application 135 may also reformat the downloaded contentbased upon a factor dependent on the personal computing device 130 suchas available storage space at the personal computing device 130, afactor dependent on the mobile device 120, a user-selectable preference,or a preset preference. The factor dependent on the mobile device 120may include supported codecs (e.g., MP3 and WMA), bit rates (i.e., bitsper second), sampling rates (i.e., samples per second), sampleresolutions (i.e., bits per sample), and video frame rates (i.e., framesper second). The factor dependent on the mobile device 120 may alsoinclude processing power, memory size, free available memory, screensize, and screen resolution.

The reformatting may be performed such that the reformatted digitalcontent transferred to the mobile device 120 corresponds to an optimaldata size range as determined by factors listed above. As an example,the downloaded content may be reformatted to more compact file sizeswhen free available memory at the mobile device 120 is low.Alternatively, the downloaded content may be reformatted to larger filesizes when free available memory at the mobile device is high. Asanother example, the downloaded content may be reformatted to a lowerresolution screen size when the mobile device 120 is a cellulartelephone than when the mobile device 120 is a PDA. The downloadedcontent may be reformatted to resolution somewhat larger (finer) thanthe screen size resolution to allow the downloaded content to be zoomedand cropped to a reasonable degree at the mobile device 120.

The content transfer application 134 is configured to transfer arepresentation of the downloaded content to the mobile device 120. Thecontent transfer application 134 may transfer the representation of thedownloaded content in response to a command received from the contentprovider 110, the mobile virtual network operator 140, the mobile device120, a user of the personal computing device 130, and/or the contentmanagement software 136. Alternatively, the content transfer application134 may transfer the representation of the downloaded contentautomatically according to a user preference setting.

The content transfer application 134 may transfer the representation ofthe downloaded content to the mobile device 120 as a single file sent inone contiguous “chunk” by a protocol such as File Transfer Protocol(FTP). Alternatively, the content transfer application 134 may transferthe representation of the downloaded content to the mobile device 120using a streaming media protocol such as User Datagram Protocol (UDP),Real-time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP),Real-time Transport Control Protocol (RTCP), Transmission ControlProtocol (TCP), or other protocols suitable for streaming digital mediaover networks. Transferring the representation using the streaming mediaprotocol may be referred to as “streaming” the representation.

The content reformatting application 135 may be configured to reformat afile stored in the local content store 132 based upon a characteristicof the file such as file size, file type, access history, or probabilityof being requested by the mobile device 120. The format and/orresolution used for reformatting may be chosen based upon a historicalpattern of formats or resolutions previously requested by the mobiledevice 120. Similarly, a historical record of available bandwidthbetween the personal computing device 130 and the mobile device 120 maybe used.

In an example, downloaded content that is identified as having beenfrequently accessed is reformatted in advance of being requested by themobile device 120. Likewise, in another example, downloaded content suchas an audio book may be reformatted at a lower bit rate than downloadedcontent such as a music file, which requires a higher bit rate.

Mobile device 120 includes a content reception interface 125 configuredto receive the representation of the downloaded content transferred bythe personal computing device 130. The content reception interface 125may be integrated with various components configured to store therepresentation of the downloaded content. The downloaded content may bestored at a mobile content store 122 for later retrieval and use on themobile device 120. The mobile content store 122 may include acomputer-readable data storage medium as described elsewhere herein. Thecontent reception interface 125 may alternatively be configured tobuffer the representation of the downloaded content for more immediateplayback on the mobile device 120.

The mobile virtual network operator 140 may be configured to act as anintermediary between the personal computing device 130 and the mobiledevice 120. The MVNO network services 144 may include a content transferapplication configured to relay data between the personal computingdevice 130 and the mobile device 120. In this configuration, rather thantransferring a representation of the downloaded content from the localcontent store 132 to the mobile device 120, the content transferapplication 134 transfers a representation of the downloaded content tothe mobile virtual network operator 140 via the network 150. The mobilevirtual network operator content transfer application receives therepresentation of the downloaded content from the personal computingdevice 130, optionally reformats the representation of the downloadedcontent using a content reformatting application within the MVNO networkservices 144, and transfers the optionally reformatted representation ofthe downloaded content to the mobile device 120.

The personal computing device 130, the mobile network service provider160, or the mobile virtual network operator 140 may be configured tomonitor and measure available communication channel bandwidth in aconnection to the mobile device 120 over the network 150. The availablebandwidth may be determined by monitoring data throughput between thepersonal computing device 130, a digital content provider 110, or mobilevirtual network operator 140 and the mobile device 120. The bandwidthmay be measured continuously during data transmission such that when abandwidth measurement value is desired, a separate bandwidth measurementdoes not need to be made.

Alternatively, the available bandwidth may be determined based on anetwork service plan that includes policies that enforce a limit onavailable bandwidth to some predetermined value. For example, a basicnetwork service plan may include a lower bit per second bandwidth forstreaming media or a lower limit on kilobits of data transfer perbilling period than an expanded network service plan. The availablebandwidth may also be determined based upon a difference between theservice plan policy limit and a measure of the service already utilizedduring a billing period. The network service plan may be provided and/orenforced by either or both the mobile virtual network operator 140 andthe mobile network service provider 160.

The available bandwidth may be used to determine a format, bit rate, orresolution of the representation of digital content transferred to themobile device 120. The mobile virtual network operator 140 may reformatdigital content transferred to the mobile device 120 to correspond tothe available bandwidth. In an example, the personal computing device130 measures throughput of data transmitted to the mobile device 120 tobe 100 kbps. The personal computing device 130 then uses the contentreformatting application 135 to resample a selected MP3 file in thelocal content store 132 from 192 kbps to 96 kbps prior to streaming theMP3 file to the mobile device 120.

The personal computing device 130 may be configured to transfer arepresentation of any data stored on the personal computing device 130.For example, the personal computing device 130 may allow the mobiledevice 120 to access data available at the personal computing device 130such as the downloaded content or other data that was not downloadedfrom the digital content provider 110, including data on a computerreadable storage medium coupled to the personal computing device 130.The personal computing device 130 may include an indexing engine toindex data available for access by the mobile device 120 via thecomputing device 130. The mobile device 120 and the computing device 130may be configured to communicate with each other in a manner similar tothat described elsewhere herein with reference to the mobile device 120selecting and downloading digital content from the digital contentprovider 110.

The personal computing device 130 may be configured to receive anauthentication token from the mobile device 120 to authorize the mobiledevice 120 prior to providing data and/or services to the mobile device120. The authentication token may be an identifying element associatedwith the user of the mobile device 120 or the mobile device 120 itself.

The personal computing device 130 may be configured to serve as a proxyfor the mobile device 120. The personal computing device 130 may allowthe mobile device 120 to access network services and servers such as thecontent provider 110 via a proxy application.

The proxy application may be included within the MVNO local servicessoftware 138. The proxy application may be configured such that aconnection between the mobile device 120 and the content provider 110via the proxy application appears to be a direct connection.

Alternatively, the proxy application may be configured to allow themobile device 120 to control a direct connection between the personalcomputing device 130 and the content provider 110. Additionally, theproxy application may allow the mobile device 120 to access any dataavailable via a connection from the personal computing device 130 to oneor more computing devices and servers over the network 150. The mobiledevice 120 and the proxy application may be configured to communicatewith each other in a manner similar to that described elsewhere hereinwith reference to the mobile device 120 selecting and transferringdigital content from the digital content provider 110. The mobilevirtual network operator 140 may also be configured to serve as a proxyfor the mobile device 120 in a manner described above with reference tothe personal computing device 130.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart depicting a method of operating a mobile virtualnetwork. In this exemplary method 200, a mobile network service isprovided by authenticating a mobile device (120) over a mobile network,providing a service to the mobile device, and monitoring usage of themobile network by the mobile device.

In step 210, the mobile device is authenticated over the mobile network.A server associated with a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO, 140)may receive an identifying element from the mobile device. Theidentifying element may be used as a unique authentication token toauthenticate the mobile device. The server may then authenticate themobile device based on the authentication token. The mobile device maybe communicatively coupled to the server over the mobile network.

In step 220, a service is provided to the mobile device via the mobilenetwork. The service may be provided in response to or in associationwith the authentication token discussed with reference to step 210. Theservice may be branded by an entity other than the operator of themobile network. For example, the service may be branded by an MVNO.

In optional step 230, digital content on a server communicativelycoupled with the mobile network is accessed by the mobile device. Theserver may be owned or operated by a third party. The third party may bean entity other than an owner or user of the mobile device. The thirdparty may also be an entity other than the MVNO. The access may includereceiving a list of digital content available for purchase or downloadand downloading the digital content to a personal computing device. Thepersonal computing device may be communicatively coupled to both theserver and the mobile device. The access may include streaming digitalcontent from the server to the mobile device or a personal computingdevice. The user may access digital content by first selecting thedigital content to access from a list presented to the user at themobile device. The digital content may be accessed via a proxyapplication. The proxy application may run on the personal computingdevice or on a server at the MVNO.

In optional step 240, the digital content is reformatted. The computingdevice may reformat the digital content by copying the accessed digitalcontent and saving the copied digital content on a computer readablestorage medium in a different format. Reformatting may includefiltering, transcoding, refactoring, and/or resampling. The reformattingmay be performed in response to a request received from the mobiledevice. This request may include a request to download content in aformat different from that of the accessed digital content.

The new format requested may be based upon a variety of factorsincluding user settings, content genre, original content format, DRMauthorization, and available free storage space on a computer readablestorage medium coupled with the computing device. Additional factorsinclude available bandwidth of a data channel between the mobile deviceand the computing device and available bandwidth of a data channelbetween the MVNO and the mobile device. Other factors related to themobile device include screen size, screen resolution, memory size,available free memory, processing power, supported codecs, supported bitrate, supported sampling rate, supported sample resolution, supportedvideo frame rate, and the like.

The computing device may reformat the digital content in one or moredifferent formats automatically upon receiving the digital content fromthe content provider. By automatically reformatting in advance of arequest to download the digital content to the mobile device, latencybetween a request to download the reformatted digital content to themobile device and completion of the requested download may be reduced.The MVNO, which is communicatively coupled with the computing device andthe mobile device over the network, may receive the digital content fromthe computing device and reformat the digital content in preparation toforward the reformatted digital content to the mobile device.

In optional step 250, a representation of the digital content istransferred to the mobile device. The computing device may transfer therepresentation of the digital content over the network. The MVNO maytransfer the representation of the digital content to the mobile device.

The mobile device, the MVNO, and/or the computing device may beconfigured to automatically and/or periodically transfer arepresentation of digital content from the computing device to themobile device. The transferred representation may be chosen according toa variety of factors. The transferred representation may be chosenrandomly or according to user settings such as a playlist. Thetransferred representation may also be chosen according to a history ofprior transfers. The history of prior transfers may indicate thefrequency with which various digital content has been transferred in thepast. The history of prior transfers may also indicate an elapsed timesince a particular item of digital content has been transferred. Thetransferred representation may also be chosen according to acharacteristic of recently downloaded digital content or an analysis ofweb sites recently visited by the user of the mobile device.Additionally, the transferred representation may be chosen according toa location of the mobile device.

The digital content received from the server hosting the digital contentmay require a storage capacity exceeding the available memory or storagespace on the mobile device. The mobile device and/or the computingdevice may be configured to transfer a representation of a portion ofthe digital content rather than the entire received digital content. Theuser of the mobile device may be queried to select one or more portionsof the digital content to transfer. The user of the mobile device may bequeried regarding whether to transfer the one or more portions of thedigital content via contiguous “chunks” and/or streaming media. Analgorithm may be utilized to automatically select the one or moreportions of the digital content to transfer based upon factors asdescribed elsewhere herein.

The mobile device may be configured to selectively replace existingdigital content already stored at the mobile device with arepresentation of the digital content received from the server hostingthe digital content by deleting the selected stored digital content tofree storage space prior to transferring the representation of thedigital content received from the server. One or more of a variety ofalgorithms may be provided to select the stored digital content todelete. The algorithm may consider one or more of the following factorsin making the selection: available storage space, frequency of access orplayback, elapsed time since last access or playback, user-specifiedpriority, or user-selection at a deletion prompt. Additional factors thealgorithm may consider include logical grouping or genre of digitalcontent such as music style, artist, album, program series, and soforth. Alternatively, the mobile device may be configured to receive thedigital content by streaming media if the mobile device has insufficientavailable memory or storage space to receive the digital content viacontiguous “chunks”.

The mobile device, the MVNO, and/or the computing device may beconfigured to establish a lifetime for a representation of digitalcontent to remain on the mobile device prior to automatically beingdeleted. The lifetime may be useful to provide a means for digitalcontent to be automatically deleted to free memory on the mobile device.The lifetime may be a characteristic of a perishable or disposablerepresentation of digital content. The lifetime may also be setaccording to a requirement of the content provider, for example toenforce a rental of digital content as opposed to a purchase of digitalcontent.

In step 260, usage of the mobile network by the mobile device ismonitored. Usage of service provided to the mobile device by the mobilevirtual network and the mobile network service provider may bemonitored. The MVNO or the mobile network service provider may monitorthe usage and may track and record the usage. The record of the usagemay be used for billing purposes.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting a billing method 300 for a mobilevirtual network operator. In this exemplary billing method 300, a userof a mobile device (120) is identified by the MVNO and/or a mobilenetwork service provider. Additionally, a network service and serviceplan are identified and priced. Furthermore, the MVNO bills the user onbehalf of the mobile network service provider.

In step 310, the user of the mobile device is identified. The MVNOand/or the mobile network service provider may maintain a customeraccount record corresponding to the user. The user may be a customer ofthe MVNO. The MVNO and/or the mobile network service provider mayidentify the user by receiving at least one identifying element from themobile device and matching the at least one identifying element with thecustomer account record.

In step 320, the user's service plan subscribed to or purchased from theMVNO is identified. The service plan may be identified by an entry inthe user's customer account record. The service plan may also beidentified by the user selecting the service plan to purchase from alist or enumeration of service plans offered for purchase to the user.

In step 330, a mobile network service provided to the mobile device isidentified. The mobile network service may be provided by the MVNO.Alternatively, the mobile network service may be provided by the mobilenetwork service provider on behalf of the MVNO. Data transmitted by themobile device may be used to identify the mobile network service. Forexample, the mobile device may transmit an SMS text message. Accordingto an SMS text message standard protocol, a data sequence may beprovided which uniquely identifies the mobile network service as an SMStext message. The mobile network service may also be identified by theuser. The user may select the mobile network service from a list orenumeration of mobile network services.

In step 340, a price of the service plan purchased is determined. Theprice may be determined according to the user's customer account record.The price may also be determined according to list prices offered to allcustomers. Special offers and discounts offered to the user may also betaken into account in determining the price. An auction may be used todetermine the price. Other methods of determining a price as known inthe art may be used.

In step 350, a price of the mobile network service provided to themobile device is determined. The price may be determined in a mannersimilar to that described with reference to step 340. A financialtransaction may be conducted including an agreement by the user to paythe price for the mobile network service provided to the mobile deviceby the MVNO, the payment optionally being made via a third party.

In an exemplary method of conducting the financial transaction, the MVNObills the user directly. The MVNO may have the user's credit card onfile as part of the user's customer account record. The MVNO may useSMS-based authorization or a software application installed on themobile device. The software application may be configured to conduct thefinancial transaction between the user of the mobile device and theMVNO. The software application may include security features such asencryption in conducting the financial transaction. A uniqueauthentication token may be provided by the mobile device to validatethe financial transaction.

In optional step 360, a Premium SMS Message is sent to the mobiledevice. The Premium SMS Message may be sent to the user of the mobiledevice via the mobile network to conduct a financial transaction. ThePremium SMS Message may be encoded to facilitate the following sequenceof activities. The user identified in step 310 replies to the PremiumSMS Message. By replying, the user confirms an agreement to purchase theservice plan and/or the mobile network service selected in steps 320 and330. Additionally, the user confirms an agreement to pay the pricesdetermined in steps 340 and 350, respectively. Alternatively, the usermay be instructed to send an SMS message to a specified number, such asa 5 digit Short Code, to confirm the agreement to purchase the serviceplan and/or the mobile network service.

The Premium SMS message may be used to validate the financialtransaction. Validating the financial transaction includes the followingactivities. The user identified in step 310 executes an agreement topurchase the service plan and/or the mobile network service selected insteps 320 and 330. The user executes an agreement to purchase theservice plan and/or the mobile network service for the prices determinedin steps 340 and 350, respectively. The financial transaction may bevalidated by receiving a purchase confirmation in response to thePremium SMS message. Validating the financial transaction may includethe MVNO receiving an identifying element from the user. The identifyingelement may be used as a unique authentication token to validate thefinancial transaction.

In step 370, information representative of an invoice for the serviceplan purchased and the network service provided to the mobile device issubmitted to the MVNO.

The invoice may relate to the Premium SMS message discussed in relationto step 360. The user may then be billed on behalf of the mobile networkservice provider by the MVNO. The information may include an identity ofthe user of the mobile device, a price of the service plan purchased bythe user of the mobile device, a price of the network service providedto the mobile device, a date of the purchase, and so forth. A charge forthe service plan and network service may be included on an MVNO billsent to the user. The user may pay the MVNO for the charge. The MVNO maypay the mobile network service provider at least a portion of the amountpaid by the user. The MVNO may optionally subtract a transaction fee orthe like from the amount paid by the user before paying the mobilenetwork service provider.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting a method 400 of using a service providedby a mobile virtual network operator. In this exemplary method 400, aunique authentication token is provided by a mobile device (120) over amobile network. A network service is used on the mobile device. Themethod further includes downloading a representation of digital contentto the mobile device over the mobile network.

In step 410, a mobile device provides a unique authentication token to aserver over a mobile network. The authentication token may be anidentifying element used to identify and authenticate the mobile devicewith a provider of a mobile network service. The server may beassociated with the provider of the mobile network service or an MVNO.The server may use the authentication token to authenticate the mobiledevice.

In step 420, the mobile device uses a service provided by the server viathe mobile network. The service may be provided in response to orassociation with the unique authentication token discussed withreference to step 410. The service may be branded by an entity otherthan the operator of the mobile network, such as an entity that owns orcontrols the server or an MVNO.

In optional step 430, the mobile device accesses digital content from acomputing device over the mobile network. The access may be performed ina manner similar to optional step 230. The mobile device may download arepresentation of digital content stored at the computing devicecommunicatively coupled to the server over a network (150). The downloadmay be responsive to or authorized by the unique authentication tokenprovided to the server by the mobile device as described in step 410.The computing device may be owned, operated, or controlled by an entityother than an entity that operates the mobile network or the server. Forexample, the computing device may be owned, operated, or controlled by auser of the mobile device or a digital content provider.

In optional step 440, messages communicated via multiple mediums areassociated with one another. For example, messages communicated with asingle entity via multiple mediums may be associated with one another ina chronologically ordered list. The chronologically ordered list may bepresented to the user of the mobile device as a single conversation.

In optional step 450, an optimal communication medium is determined forcommunicating a message to an entity. The message is then communicatedto the entity using that medium. The determination of the optimalcommunication medium may be based on at least one communicationcharacteristic related to the entity, such as most recently used or mostfrequently used communication medium between the user of the mobiledevice and the entity. The determination of the optimal communicationmedium may also be based on time of day or day of week. Thedetermination of the optimal communication medium may also be based onlength of message, urgency of message, or type of message (e.g., voice,text, picture, or video). The determination of the optimal communicationmedium may also be based on user-selectable preference or predefinedpreference. The determination of the optimal communication medium mayalso be based on location, presence of the entity, or availability ofthe entity via the communication medium. After the optimal communicationmedium is determined, the message is communicated to the entity over thedetermined optimal communication medium.

In optional step 460, a representation of digital content stored at themobile device is transferred to the computing device over the network.The transfer may be performed automatically or by explicit instructionfrom the user of the mobile device. The transfer may be performed toback up the digital content from the mobile device to the computingdevice. The transfer may be performed to publish the digital content andthereby make the digital content available to others over the networkvia the computing device.

In optional step 470, a perishable application is downloaded, executed,and deleted. The perishable application is downloaded from a server tothe mobile device over the mobile network. The mobile device executesthe perishable application. After the perishable application has beenexecuted a predetermined number of times, has resided on the mobiledevice longer than a preset period of time, or is no longer needed, theperishable application is deleted from the mobile device.

The embodiments illustrated, described, and discussed herein areillustrative of the present invention. As these embodiments of thepresent invention are described with reference to illustrations, variousmodifications or adaptations of the methods and or specific structuresdescribed may become apparent to those skilled in the art. It will beappreciated that modifications and variations are covered by the aboveteachings and within the scope of the appended claims without departingfrom the spirit and intended scope thereof. All such modifications,adaptations, or variations that rely upon the teachings of the presentinvention, and through which these teachings have advanced the art, areconsidered to be within the spirit and scope of the present invention.Hence, these descriptions and drawings should not be considered in alimiting sense, as it is understood that the present invention is in noway limited to only the embodiments illustrated.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system having a memory and one or moreprocessors and coupled to a mobile device on a mobile network, thesystem configured to: store an account record associated with a user ofthe mobile device, wherein the account record includes a username andusage records associated with the mobile device, receive a uniqueauthentication token from the mobile device, authenticate the user toprovide a service to the mobile device, wherein the authentication isbased on the received unique authentication token; wherein the usagerecords include usage of the service on an application executing on themobile device, wherein the application on the mobile device is brandedby an entity other than an entity operating the mobile network; identifya location of the mobile device based on a location information providedby the mobile device; provide data representative of digital content tothe mobile device, wherein the data representative of digital content isassociated with the unique authentication token and is provided based onthe location of the mobile device and the usage records associated withthe mobile device, wherein the data representative of digital content isprovided to the mobile device without receiving a prior user selectionof the data representative of digital content; and receive informationof a user selection related to the data representative of digitalcontent, wherein the received user selection is made on the applicationon the mobile device, wherein the digital content is provided to theapplication executing on the mobile device from a second system that isother than the system.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the digitalcontent is provided to the mobile device in response to the userselection.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein providing datarepresentative of digital content without receiving the prior userselection is to enable faster playback at the mobile device.
 4. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the processors are further configured toupdate the usage records based on usage of the service.
 5. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the processors are further configured to communicateone or more of the usage records to a billing application.
 6. The systemof claim 1, wherein the processors are further configured to communicateone or more of the usage records to a content provider that provides thedigital content.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifiedlocation is based on a global positioning system (GPS) device at themobile device.
 8. A method of operating a system having one or moreprocessors and coupled to a mobile device on a mobile network, themethod comprising the steps of: storing an account record associatedwith a user of the mobile device, wherein the account record includes ausername and usage records associated with the mobile device; receivinga unique authentication token from the mobile device, authenticating theuser to provide a service to the mobile device, wherein theauthentication is based on the received unique authentication token;wherein the usage records include usage of the service of an applicationon executing on the mobile device, wherein the application on the mobiledevice is branded by an entity other than an entity operating on themobile network; identifying a location of the mobile device based on alocation information provided by the mobile device; providing datarepresentative of digital content to the mobile device, wherein the datarepresentative of digital content is associated with the uniqueauthentication token and is provided based on the location of the mobiledevice and the usage records associated with the mobile device, whereinthe data representative of digital content is provided to the mobiledevice without receiving a prior user selection of the datarepresentative of digital content; and receiving information of a userselection related to the data representative of digital content, whereinthe received user selection is made on the application executing on themobile device, wherein the digital content is provided to theapplication on the mobile device from a second system that is other thanthe system.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the digital content isprovided to the mobile device in response to the user selection.
 10. Themethod of claim 8, wherein providing data representative of digitalcontent without receiving the prior user selection is to enable fasterplayback at the mobile device.
 11. The method of claim 8, furthercomprising updating the usage records based on usage of the service. 12.The method of claim 8, further comprising communicating one or more ofthe usage records to a billing application.
 13. The method of claim 8,further comprising communicating one or more of the usage records to acontent provider that provides the digital content.
 14. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the identified location is based on a globalpositioning system (GPS) device at the mobile device.